Katherine Elizabeth Pope, a
20-year-old Smith College student, was struck and killed by a car
on July 5 while biking to her summer internship at the Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). She was pronounced dead at the
scene.

Pope, a Florida resident,
had been renting a room in Menlo Park from SLAC researcher Peter
Bosted and his wife, Ann. During the morning of her fatal commute,
which was less than one mile, she had been riding westbound on Sand
Hill Road in a marked bike lane. At about 8:45 a.m., she attempted
to merge with traffic as she aimed for the left turn lane,
presumably to turn into the SLAC driveway.

At
this point she was hit by a Porsche driven by William Stettiner,
34, of Portland, Ore. Stettiner, uninjured, has not been charged. A
police investigation is ongoing.

California vehicle code
says bicyclists can move from a bicycle lane to the fast lane to
make a left-hand turn if they can do so safely and after signaling.
Given the heavy traffic and proximity to the freeway of this
stretch of Sand Hill Road, another option is riding in the bike
lane to the intersection and walking the bike in the
crosswalk.

About 50 percent of Santa
Clara County bicycle commuters have Stanford origins or
destinations, according to Stanford's Parking & Transportation
Services department. Some bikers advocate reducing the 45
mile-per-hour speed limit on the portion of Sand Hill Road near the
Highway 280 entrance or improving enforcement of the existing speed
limit.

"Bicycle safety is a
concern for the police department," said traffic officer Craig
McCarty of the Menlo Park Police Department. "Vehicles, bicycles
and pedestrians each play a part in traffic safety."

"People at SLAC really want
to encourage biking to work and should not be dissuaded by a
dangerous road," said Peter Bosted, one of the more than 21 percent
of Stanford affiliates who bike to work.

Pope
recently had finished her sophomore year at Smith, where she was
majoring in history and physics. She planned to spend a year at the
University of Edinburgh in Scotland studying medieval swords. Her
project at SLAC employed particle detectors she had helped build at
Smith.

A
SLAC memorial will take place Thursday, July 12, at 11 a.m. by the
duck pond at Sharon Heights Park in Menlo Park. The timing will
coincide with her funeral in Lockhart, Texas, where her family will
be gathered. There will also be a concurrent ceremony at the Smith
College chapel.

A memorial bike ride is
being organized in Pope's honor. Cyclists will meet at the Menlo
Park CalTrain station at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 15, for a ride
approximately 40 minutes long. For further information,
emaildaniweber@earthlink.net.